Family Culture

Family Culture

How would you describe your family’s culture? I mean if you only had two words to sum it up, what would they be? If it helps, I would describe my mother’s family as ‘pragmatic organizers’. This can be witnessed by the fact that they just love to take control and get things done! Many of the women have chosen for professional catering positions, running kitchens or restaurants, or leading posts in education, while the men have a tendency for running their own small independent businesses, often focused around coaching, project management and consulting type vocations. My Father’s family, on the other hand seemed to be much quieter, thinkers, writers etc.

I know I am generalizing but you see it everywhere. My wife’s family has a very strong work ethic. Be it in attaining degrees and diplomas or, working hard in the field. And so it is that I wonder what labels we could put on our companies and departments? “In our company we pride ourselves as being XXX and YYY.”

Luckily, apart from family businesses, there are not normally too many companies that have a high percentage of employees with the same family gene pool but there are, in my opinion, far too many that have too many similar types of employees. I put this down to the fact that somewhere, perhaps long ago, the HR department decided what kind of profile best fitted their business and spent a great deal of time and effort selecting the ‘perfect’ profiles.

If you could choose, what kind of work environment would you like to work in, I mean what two words would you most like to have to describe your department or company?

Last night I saw a TV program where a young man had to form a choir from the employees of Birmingham City Council. From the way the TV film was edited, I could only describe them as ‘supportive and caring’. They looked to be an outstanding group of very different people, sharing the same ethic but blending together and supporting one another through very difficult times and circumstances. They were a real credit to their city.

But for now, I am off to think of the two words to apply to my consulting business! Until next week…

Harley is a dynamic 'we can do this' kind of person with a successful track record of working for a wide variety of companies in all kinds of sectors. From very small family run businesses right through to giant multi-nationals. Over the last thirty five years Harley has built a reputation for inspiring those around him to rout out and tackle the core problems facing their organizations. Armed with a wide range of pragmatic tools that he has developed over the years, Harley is able to help his clients bring about long-term, sustainable solutions, while having fun at the same time.
Harley is a motivational 'people person' who is nonetheless tough on efficiency and delivery.
Apart from being well known for his highly entertaining and motivational speeches,
Harley is also a blogger and author of four books; 'The Change Manager's Handbook', 'Transition', 'Inspirational Leadership’ and ‘Making a Difference’.